The Roads Less Taken: TENMA Return - Sept 22, 2012

The Route

I slept late and then chatted with my Mom until noon. She lives by herself in Lubbock, surrounded by great friends, church and a dozen clubs and activities. I am so happy to see her doing so well.

I left Lubbock under the cloudless sky of a glorious fall West Texas day. I could not have had a nicer day to be on the road. Traffic was light, the cotton was up in the fields, enforcement was slight and STella hit every note perfectly on all her favorite tunes.

I planned to drop in on one of my oldest and dearest friends, Jan B in San Angelo. We dated some in Junior High and High School and have remained fast friends all these years. Jan has always had health issues, some of the worst have been brain cancer some years ago and a stroke a little while back. When I saw her last year her speech production was badly compromised. This visit she can no longer walk.

When I arrived the garage door was up and all the doors were open, save the glass storm doors but nobody answered the bell. I went to the side yard gate and saw her and Ruben (her husband) sitting under the new patio cover Ruben has been building for her, each having a beer. Ruben came to let me in when I knocked. Jan recognized me and beckoned me over for a hug. We all sat for a nice visit, with Ruben filling me in on what was happening with Jan and her family, how the visiting nurses come in three times a week to help and on how, now that he has retired, he gets to be completely focused on taking care of Jan. Bless them both. I got Ruben's phone number, and begging him to let me know how things go, left him my card, gave Jan a goodbye hug and kiss and left heartbroken.

The rest of the ride, so familiar and pretty, was a comfort. At 8pm, I rolled into my own driveway, hit the garage door button, rolled into my own garage, shut STella down, walked into the kitchen and gave my Jan a big hug and a kiss. I'm home.